The Hidden Beauty of Hibiscus

Triple petal blossom rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon blossoms

Rose of Sharon

This post connected to Shadow Shot Sunday. My shadow quote follows:

Ceremony leads her bigots forth, prepared to fight for shadows of no worth. While truths, on which eternal things depend, can hardly find a single friend. 

William Cowper 

Research indicates that  viewing nature's beauty or caressing the soft fur of a pet can lower our blood pressure and reduce the harmful effects of stress on our bodies. These pretty flower petals are not just lovely to look at but healthy to ingest too so they will assist us in more than one way. My grand daughter and I gather their petals as the flowers fall from the shrubs and take them inside to brew Rose of Sharon (hibiscus) tea. The tea is slightly citrusy so we add honey. 

Hibiscus petals are also brewed as a tea and used as key ingredient in some of the pricier shampoos to promote healthier and fuller hair. 

The tea, known as sour tea in Iran is enjoyed for its many healing properties. One of the reasons it has an acidic taste is that it has high content of plant acids including citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and allo-hydroxycitric acid lactone. Actually the acids are unique to the hibiscus. 

Other interesting and beneficial components of hibiscus are quercitin (also found in apples), alkaloids, and  anthocyanins. For many years it has been widely used for the treatment of upper respiratory health, blood pressure and the maintenance of blood pressure and cholesterol. 

Thank you for your visit today. Take care, stay healthy and God bless!

sources:

http://www.gaiaherbs.com/articles/detail/42/The-Surprising-Health-Benefits-of-Hibiscus

http://healthmad.com/health/rose-of-sharon-lovely-to-look-at-and-healthy-to-eat/